John Cirri may have resigned as president of Local 9477 of the United Steelworkers, but that doesn’t mean he’ll go back to the mill and make steel.

Instead, according to well-placed sources, the longtime union boss will move down the hall to another office at the union annex and hold the job of contract coordinator.

This position, which he received when Local 9477 president, guarantees him the top union wage (grade 5) based on a 48-hour workweek, which includes 8 hours of overtime.

If Cirri had returned to his former job as crane operator, he’d make between 31%-38% less than the $1,217 he’s guaranteed weekly as contract coordinator.

The position was set up by the International union but will be paid for by local employer, RG Steel.

Cirri’s paycheck will actually be more than that of his successor, Jeff Mikula, who was sworn in last night as 9477 president, sources said.

Mikula will earn grade 4 as union president based on a 40-hour workweek. Mikula can seek overtime, but only if he actually works at his craft in the mill.

UPDATE: John Cirri e-mailed the following after this story was posted, in response to our questions about his job:

“I received the position [of contract coordinator] when John Thackston suddenly and sadly passed away a few years ago. The hours of the coordinators are in line with applicable agreements and plant overtime averages.”

Cirri described his job as “the implementation and ongoing monitoring of joint undertakings of mutual interest to the company and union.”